Wind Turbine Payback in Yazoo County, MS
Wind turbine payback in Yazoo County
No. The turbine wears out before it pays for itself.
At 30 m, the height a home turbine tower usually reaches, the wind in Yazoo County, MS averages 4.92 m/s (11 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 11,999 kWh a year, worth $1,807 at MS's 15.06¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 55 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Yazoo County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Yazoo County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.9 m/s at the hub against 4.92 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,355 kWh a year here against the turbine's 1,200, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 42¢/kWh, 2.8 times what MS pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.9 m/s instead of 4.92. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of MS
Yazoo County is the 1,495th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in MS is DeSoto County at 5.13 m/s, payback 50 years.
Month by month in Yazoo County
March is the strongest month here, at 5.78 m/s and about 1,533 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.62 m/s and 411 kWh, so the best month makes 3.7 times the worst. November to March brings in 56% of the year's output in Yazoo County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.61 m/s | 1,430 kWh | $215 |
| February | 5.73 m/s | 1,360 kWh | $205 |
| March | 5.78 m/s | 1,533 kWh | $231 |
| April | 5.76 m/s | 1,473 kWh | $222 |
| May | 4.83 m/s | 969 kWh | $146 |
| June | 4.06 m/s | 566 kWh | $85 |
| July | 3.62 m/s | 411 kWh | $62 |
| August | 3.68 m/s | 433 kWh | $65 |
| September | 4.30 m/s | 671 kWh | $101 |
| October | 4.86 m/s | 984 kWh | $148 |
| November | 5.34 m/s | 1,223 kWh | $184 |
| December | 5.50 m/s | 1,365 kWh | $206 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Yazoo County averages 3.69 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.62 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.261, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 8,892 to 16,907 kWh a year, 90% more, before counting the extra cost of the taller tower. Why tower height decides it explains the shear behind these numbers.
| Hub height | Average wind | Output | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 m | 4.42 m/s | 8,892 kWh | 75 years |
| 30 m | 4.92 m/s | 11,989 kWh | 55 years |
| 40 m | 5.3 m/s | 14,623 kWh | 45 years |
| 50 m | 5.62 m/s | 16,907 kWh | 39 years |
Counties around Yazoo County
None of the 6 closest counties is windier than Yazoo County.
- Madison County, MS: 3.64 m/s, 4,905 kWh, payback over 100 years (22 mi)
- Humphreys County, MS: 4.92 m/s, 11,999 kWh, payback 55 years (26 mi)
- Sharkey County, MS: 4.92 m/s, 11,999 kWh, payback 55 years (27 mi)
- Holmes County, MS: 3.71 m/s, 5,209 kWh, payback over 100 years (30 mi)
- Hinds County, MS: 4.39 m/s, 8,690 kWh, payback 76 years (35 mi)
- Issaquena County, MS: 4.9 m/s, 11,866 kWh, payback 56 years (36 mi)
Sun versus wind in Yazoo County
Yazoo County gets 4.64 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,355 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 1,200. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.1 times as much here as the turbine. Panel output assumes an 80% system performance ratio. Wind or solar runs the same comparison for every county.
How this is worked out
Wind is NASA's Power climate record, the 2001-2025 average at 10 m and 50 m for the county's centre, carried to 30 m with this county's own measured wind shear and spread into hours with a Rayleigh distribution. The turbine is a generic 10 kW, 7 m rotor machine with 10% losses. Cost is $10,000 per kW installed with no tax credit, because the federal one ended in 2025. One county-centre number cannot see your hilltop or your tree line, so treat it as the starting point for a site survey, not a substitute. The full method and its weak spots are in how the numbers are made.